Posted on Jan 19 by jen

Project365: A Beginning

In 2012, Anthony and I decided to a do a joint “photo-a-day” project called “Project366.” Over the course of the year, we posted our photos for each week. It was an endeavor, but we made it through. We’ve decided to do it again this year but, since this year is not a leap year, it is our “Project365.”

During 2013, we will be switching things up a bit. Starting in February, we will be taking photos based on monthly themes. At the beginning of each month, we will announce here (and on our Facebook and Twitter pages) the new theme for the month. We are hoping this will lead to livelier discussions about our photos and, hey, maybe you can play along at home! We highly encourage you to start your own Photo-a-Day project (it’s never too late to start!) and share links to your photos with us.

Without further ado, here are the photos from the beginning of this year’s Project365; we hope you enjoy them!

January 1, 2013

A Fortune for 2013 by Jen Gallardo

A Fortune for 2013 by Jen Gallardo

 

New Year Confetti by Anthony J. Merced

New Year Confetti by Anthony J. Merced

Continue reading →

Posted on Jan 14 by anthony

Movies by the Numbers: January 14, 2013

Zero Dark Thirty Movie Poster

Zero Dark Thirty Movie Poster

Zero Dark Thirty fired a warning shot to all of the other Oscar contenders with a $24 million opening in its first weekend of wide release. Katherine Bigelow’s latest film proves that all of the real life controversy has helped to garner a more rabid following. The strong opening weekend was better than both Argo and Lincoln. The decision to push the release date back from December helped Sony’s marketing effort as they took advantage of a usually slow month. Aside from having the time to grow unopposed, the film has seen an unusual amount of coverage given the content and how it may have been acquired. The extra few weeks helped to build up extreme anticipation and so far audiences are certainly interested.

In second place was A Haunted House, the horror movie spoof written by and starring Marlon Wayans. While the film only brought in $18 million, it managed to bring in a higher per-theater average attendance. A Haunted House screened in nearly 800 less theaters than Zero Dark Thirty but still managed a respectable showing. In the end it will most likely finish around $40 million which is par for the course with such films. The audience demographics skewed more ethnic as 48% were African American and 30% were Latino ticket buyers.  Continue reading →

Posted on Jan 10 by jen

Project 366: The End

It took us a while to finally post these, but here are the last two photos Anthony and I took in the year 2012. As always, this daily project was an adventure wrought with lots of challenges — but we managed to thrive. We are looking forward to challenging ourselves in new ways in 2013. Keep an eye out for our first group of photos from 2013 next week!

December 30, 2012

Santa's in a Tree by Jen Gallardo

Santa’s in a Tree by Jen Gallardo

Places I've Visited by Anthony J. Merced

Places I’ve Visited by Anthony J. Merced

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Posted on Jan 4 by jen

Project 366: Week 52

Christmas finally arrived this week and we spent much of the time eating, as you’ll see below! We also spent a lot of time playing with gifts we received and, of course, having a good time with family and friends as well. We hope your holiday was joyous and well-catered! As always, let us know which photos are your favorites in the comments area below this post.

December 23, 2012

Handmade Card by Jen Gallardo

Handmade Card by Jen Gallardo

Kid Toys by Anthony J. Merced

Kid Toys by Anthony J. Merced

Continue reading →

Posted on Jan 4 by jen

Project 366: Week 51

At this point, we reached the holiday home stretch! Christmas cards were mailed out, some gifts were exchanged and preparations were made for vacation time. Let us know which photos were your favorites in the comments below.

December 16, 2012

Waiting on a Train by Jen Gallardo

Waiting on a Train by Jen Gallardo

Across the Street by Anthony J. Merced

Across the Street by Anthony J. Merced

Continue reading →

Posted on Dec 31 by jen

Project 366: Week 50

We spent a lot of time this week picking up packages at the post office in preparation for the exchange of gifts at holiday parties throughout the following weeks. Hopefully your packages were all received in time! Let us know which photos you enjoyed most in the comments below.

December 9, 2012

Christmas Lights by Jen Gallardo

Christmas Lights by Jen Gallardo

Sleeping Santa by Anthony J. Merced

Sleeping Santa by Anthony J. Merced

Continue reading →

Posted on Dec 31 by jen

Project 366: Week 49

During this week, we celebrated Anthony’s birthday and began preparing for Christmas. We also began shooting a short film which we hope to share here at some point very soon in 2013. As always, let us know which photos are your favorites in the comments below!

December 2, 2012

Birthday Cheesecake by Jen Gallardo

Birthday Cheesecake by Jen Gallardo

Birthday Photo by Anthony J. Merced

Birthday Photo by Anthony J. Merced

Continue reading →

Posted on Dec 29 by anthony

Movies by the Numbers: December 24, 2012

The Hobbit Movie Poster

Christmas will not be as fruitful as expected for The Hobbit. Even though Peter Jackson’s epic adventure film held off five new openings for a $36 million weekend, The Hobbit is well underneath expectations with $150 million through two weeks. This was eerily similar to the drop I Am Legend saw in 2007. Whether or not the new king of December films can regain some momentum after the new year remains to be seen. Current expectations show The Hobbit finishing a shade under $300 million, making it the lowest grossing film in the Lord of the Rings franchise.

In second place was the debut of Tom Cruise’s latest film Jack Reacher. While studios won’t be extremely upset with the $15 million opening, it is well below previous Cruise films. Mission Impossible – Ghost Protocol started with nearly double the opening of Jack Reacher. Unlike his previous films, Cruise didn’t have a superstar franchise or director to add to the draw. We’ve seen the decline of star actors as major draws at the box office and this trend continues with Cruise’s latest outing. Reviews have been quite favorable and word-of-mouth seems to be picking up steam, so Jack Reacher should finish strong by the end of its run. Continue reading →

Posted on Dec 18 by anthony

Movies by the Numbers: December 18, 2012

The Hobbit Movie Poster

This weekend’s outcome was expected but didn’t produce the punching power that some thought it might. The Hobbit, the latest film from famed director Peter Jackson, had an $84 million opening easily becoming the highest grossing premiere in the month of December. The latest film based on J.R.R. Tolkien’s fantasy novels didn’t have much competition. Will Smith’s I Am Legend previously held the record with $77 million. While it is definitely a reason to celebrate, that party will be tempered as The Hobbit failed to break $100 million.

Unfortunately for Warner Bros. many movie-goers decided to wait for reviews instead of jumping head first back into Middle Earth. The Lord of the Rings may be one of the most successful franchises of the previous decade but audiences tend to move on. The last film was released nine years ago and the marketing effort decided to lean heavily on fan knowledge of the previous installments. That fandom has obviously dwindled. There are still high hopes for the film as December is notoriously a slow month. With economic times being what they are, the film will most likely have staying power. Audiences will venture to the theaters when they have the time after the holidays. Continue reading →

Posted on Dec 11 by anthony

Movies by the Numbers: December 10, 2012

Skyfall Movie Poster

After spending three weeks behind The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 2, James Bond has returned to the top of the box office. This is no surprise as it was an unimpressive weekend altogether with only one major opening that failed from the onset to grab any particular audience. The Gerard Butler romantic comedy Playing For Keeps became the star actor’s second flop this year behind Chasing Mavericks. Where things went wrong this time around can be laid at the feet of the movie’s overall marketing campaign. Gerard Butler, well known for his roles in action films, has not caught on as the romantic sex symbol. Selling him without selling the content of the film ended up dooming the picture to a dismal $5.7 million opening. Not only was relying on Butler to sell tickets a mistake, but making little mention of the overall plot to the film was an even more egregious error.

Skyfall has industry people talking about more than just this latest installment being the most successful in the franchise. Approaching $300 million at the box office, this latest installment of the James Bond franchise is easily one of the most successful films of 2012. A great combination of word-of-mouth and brand establishment created an undeniable buzz about the film that has kept it going strong. Just to show how successful it has been, Quantum of Solace – once considered the most successful Bond film — has been eclipsed by $120 million. Unfortunately, James Bond will have much of its audience pulled away as Peter Jackson’s The Hobbit approaches in the coming weeks. Continue reading →